CANTON — A man charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend in July was sentenced to life in prison plus five years for felony murder after pleading guilty to the crime in court last week.

Trevor Lamont Nuckles admitted to shooting his 19-year-old girlfriend Dejanirra “D.J.” Elrod to death in the doorway of her relative’s home on Pea Ridge in Canton July 15, according to court documents.

In November, Nuckles was indicted on 14 counts, including malice murder and felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and cruelty to children.

His sentence Dec. 12 included 20 years in prison for the aggravated assault charge to serve concurrently with the life sentence, as well as sentences for many of the other crimes, all to run concurrently.

According to Cherokee County Superior Court documents, the court did not recommend parole, but in the event parole is granted, Nuckles is prohibited from having any contact with any members of Elrod’s family.

He has also been banished from Cherokee County if he is paroled.

At the time of the shooting, Lt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said Elrod died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

A total of six shots were fired at the victim, but an autopsy report completed showed she was shot three times, according to Lt. Col. Ron Hunton, head of criminal investigations for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

Baker said no one saw the shooting, but the relative who owned the home told investigators Nuckles had recently left the home.

“When the homeowner tried to call 911, Nuckles grabbed her phone and threw it to the ground before leaving the scene on foot,” Baker said.

A Canton police officer arrested Nuckles less than two miles away as he was walking near the River Ridge apartment complex where he lived with Elrod, Baker said at the time of the arrest.

“With the assistance of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Team, investigators searched the woods between the crime scene and where Nuckles was apprehended,” Baker said. “A 9mm handgun, believed to be the murder weapon, was located approximately 50 yards from the crime scene in the woods off Pine Grove Road.”

Nuckles’ criminal history includes a Cobb arrest last Christmas Day after he allegedly punched a relative twice in the right side of the man’s face during an argument with Nuckles’ mother, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Tribune.

He was also arrested in June 2010 on a felony drug charge and misdemeanor charges of obstruction and giving a false name, according to an arrest warrant.

In November 2010, Nuckles was also charged with felony aggravated battery. According to an arrest warrant, Nuckles allegedly kicked a man twice in the head and then stood on the victim’s head, leaving him unconscious and bleeding.

The incident reportedly began when the victim yelled at Nuckles, who was allegedly kicking a car.

In April 2011, Nuckles pleaded guilty to battery and was sentenced to time served in prison and three years probation, according to information from the Cobb County Superior Court clerk’s office.

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides